by Rex Jameson
***
Eranos groaned as he sat up. He instinctively tried holding onto his left arm to dull the pain, but he grasped at nothing.
“We felt magic being used,” Rabishu said, exposing several blades and whirling around as she looked for a target.
“It was Kimah,” Batarel said, a shield protecting him. “Sent two class five fireballs, and Sariel had to defend himself.”
“Where is he?” Eranos asked weakly. “Where is Lucifer?”
Above them, the sounds of dozens of apparations could be heard, and squishy, wet lumps fell to random locations in the square. Some splattered onto the ruins of the balcony above. Others tumbled down castle walls and rolled across the floor of the marketplace.
“What the hell is that?”
Batarel looked up and shrugged. “Guards, I suspect.”
A bloody, chainmail-clad torso took out a wizard, and Rabishu shielded. Other wizards followed her lead.
Eranos was too weak, though. He had lost a lot of blood and was having trouble concentrating. He stumbled over to Rabishu, his protector.
The apparations above grew more frequent, and the crowd dispersed as dangerous, falling zinanbar began appearing all around them. Eranos felt Rabishu’s shield covering his body, but he still winced as the body parts bounced off the barrier above him.
This can’t be happening.
“Guards!” Eranos yelled, but there was no response. Where were they?
Apparations continued all around them and escalated in frequency. It was like a fireworks display building to a grand finale. Eranos continued to wince, but he became mesmerized by the streaks of blood coursing down Rabishu’s barrier. He found himself looking up through the protective bubble at the blue sky above. And then, high above him, a tiny black dot appeared.
“What the hell is that?” Rabishu asked.
Batarel backed away from the platform. “I would advise you to move from the platform, Your Highness.”
“What is that thing?”
“Just move, sir.”
Around them, the courtyard was empty except for the wizards, new royalty, and hundreds of dismembered bodies. The black dot grew bigger.
“You have maybe twenty seconds,” Batarel said.
Rabishu pulled Eranos clear of the platform as bits of flesh continued to rain down. Wizards ran from the dais, turned, and readied their most powerful spells. Whatever was coming at them, Eranos was sure they would be ready.
The dark object struck the earth like a meteorite, and the shockwave knocked everyone off their feet. Eranos waved his remaining hand in front of his face as the dust settled, but Rabishu took the hand and helped him to his feet. She pulled him with her closer to the debris cloud, and he watched as she magically cleared the bad air.
Crumpled chains came into view. Then mangled bars and a broken lock. Adrenaline pumped through Eranos’s body, and he came to life. He picked up the lock and threw it at one of wizards. He shook the remnants of the cage, screamed at Rabishu, and then he cursed at Batarel. But none of it did any good.
He had lost his left arm and his brother, who doubled as his most devious adviser. The bodies of Ostat and Olivia were gone, his own people appeared to be behind it, and Lucifer, the Crown Prince, had escaped.